Executive Housekeeper

Summary:

The Executive Housekeeper is a critical member of the shipboard management team, responsible for the management of all Housekeeping functions and team members onboard. The Executive Housekeeper possesses a dynamic outgoing demeanor with a passion for ‘Delivering the Wow’ through exceptional service while demonstrating exemplary leadership skills. He/she continually strives to exceed hospitality industry cleanliness and presentation standards, while ensuring complete guest and team satisfaction. He/she establishes and maintains a positive working environment of transparency, fairness and consistency, with clear performance expectations and open and frequent communication. He/she focuses on operational goals where training, leadership development and recognizing overall team performance are paramount. Leading by example and from the front of the house, the Executive Housekeeper instills an environment where team members are enabled to deliver exceptional customer service to our guests through flawless and consistent execution of their responsibilities.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
1. In accordance with Royal Caribbean International’s philosophy of Anchored in Excellence, each employee conducts oneself in a professional and courteous manner at all times. This applies to physical and verbal interactions with guests or fellow shipboard employees and/or in the presence of guest contact and crew areas.
2. Ensures cleanliness, maintenance and presentation standards are managed to brand standards in all Housekeeping areas, including all guest staterooms and balconies, guest corridors, officer cabins, laundry, lockers and storage areas in both the front and back of house. Spends at least 50% of working day in front-of-house operations to set tone and oversee inspection processes, ensuring feedback is delivered in constructive and appropriate manner with emphasis on positive reinforcement. Ensures all administrative and back of house functions are completed on time, accurately and are maintained to standard.
3. Reports to the Hotel Director and takes an active role in all hotel division activities. Educates fellow division heads on cleanliness standards. Establishes himself/herself as a content expert on all Housekeeping and cleanliness related matters. Develops and maintains strong rapport and frequent communication with the Facilities Manager, the Deck Department and Marine Department to ensure timely completion of ongoing and preventative maintenance in an organized and well planned manner. Provides preventative maintenance reporting to enable
maintenance to be planned and executed appropriately to improve stateroom, balcony and corridor appearance.
4. Responsible for leading, motivating and coaching a team of empowered individuals who will strive to deliver exceptional guest service, taking ownership and accountability for reacting to guest feedback and requests effectively and efficiently. Responds to guest complaints and concerns in prompt, empathetic, and customer centric manner, ensuring appropriate resolution and using every guest issue as an opportunity to coach and mentor the Housekeeping management and team. Executive Housekeeper will permanently resolve recurring service failures through root cause analysis and effective problem solving techniques. Practices sound business sense in an ethical manner at all times. Enforces and assists shipboard senior management team in facilitating the ‘Guest Conduct Policy’.
5. Mentors, develops and provides both classroom-style and on-the-job training to team members to strengthen their current performance and preparation for succession planning. Demonstrates strong ability to coach and develop team members on effective problem resolution skills and aptitudes. Ensures team communication is maintained at highest levels, through activities such as morning line up, etc. to constantly keep team informed and aware of relevant information. Evaluates and tracks development on an individual and team level, ensuring every team member receives frequent, open and honest feedback about his/her performance, individual strengths and improvement opportunities. Reviews and ensures compliance with the training matrix for all positions.
6. Oversees, coordinates, and administers the Housekeeping Division schedule in conjunction with the shoreside support group. Actively identifies and monitors the scheduling needs of the Housekeeping division. Demonstrates aptitude for the management of headcount within assigned area, as it relates to and supports the business needs of the ship. Collaborates with CTI or other designated company to ensure Laundry staffing needs are constantly maintained and planned for. Is able to identify skill sets in individuals for succession planning for fleet-wide Housekeeping operations.
7. Effectively manages all Laundry Operations onboard ensuring that the Laundry Master has all necessary skills, training, tools, information and support to enable delivery of services and products flawlessly and on a consistent basis. Ensures all laundry equipment is maintained in good working order and advance planning is put into place to ensure that long-term equipment needs are met. Maintains an accurate inventory of all linen, terry, crew linens and other items par levels, ensuring that at all times purchases are made to maintain sufficient par to meet the business demands. Ultimately ensures that the quality of all linen items serviced for the ship along with guest and crew items are up to the required presentation standards. Reviews regularly the quality control and discard sheets and provides root cause analysis. Completes daily walk through of the laundry operation and completes a formalized laundry inspection each week with the Laundry Master.
8. Actively manages and reviews yearly budgets for Housekeeping and Laundry cost centers/expenses (e.g. consumable and replaceable items) and revenue streams (e.g. laundry, floral cart, tuxedo program, etc.). Maintains appropriate cleaning costs and monitors consumption, storage and supply orders placed to minimize waste. Prepares financial operational business plan to enhance the overall business performance of the division. Applies strategic planning to identify business efficiencies within the division’s cost center supporting company targets and goals, and seeking ways to promote revenue streams.
9. Leads division in taking a proactive approach to achieving and exceeding quantitative and qualitative goals and targets set for Housekeeping guest satisfaction ratings, GOLD Anchor Quality Reviews, employee satisfaction scores, Public Health inspections and audits, and Housekeeping Operational Reviews. Reviews and acts upon audit findings and guest feedback,
ensuring team are trained and educated appropriately to prevent recurrences. Responsible for achieving objectives as defined by the balanced scorecard metrics ensuring that all company initiatives and other priorities as communicated by senior management are positively supported.
10. Maintains and communicates current knowledge of all ship’s regular events and special functions in order to provide guests and housekeeping team with accurate and updated information.
11. Comprehensive knowledge of cleaning practices, procedures, equipment and materials. Ensures cleaning equipment and supplies are maintained and that all team members are adequately trained to ensure proper and effective use.
12. Attends department and division head meetings. In addition, facilitates divisional crew and management meetings, training activities, courses and all other work-related activities with the Housekeeping Team. Continually updates job knowledge by investigating new trends in housekeeping and cleanliness practices, reviewing professional publications, establishing personal networks, and sharing of best practices, lessons learned and new benchmarks with shipboard management and shore-side support groups.
13. Ensures frequent and consistent updates of clear and concise handover notes to eliminate any possible miscommunication that compromises the efficiency of set processes. Works to ensure that their divisions’ manager and supervisor placement's maximize individual strengths to support the organizational needs. Through managing individual strengths this will allow for a seamless management handover allowing for minimum disruption to the team and operation.
14. Oversees the Stateroom Attendant Performance Management Tool, ensuring system is maintained per the system’s Standard Operating Procedures document. Disseminates appropriate information and section assignments, ensuring poor performers are coached, re-trained and counseled through back of house rotation. Utilizes progressive disciplinary process in accordance with guidelines and ensures top performers are consistently recognized and motivated.
15. Identifies Career path opportunities for Management team and crew members and assists accordingly to reach career goals as a coach and mentor and works with the Fleet Executive Housekeepers.
16. Oversees the allocation of Support team resources for luggage and turnaround duties in conjunction with the Hotel Director. Reviews with the BOH Senior Deck Supervisor on a per voyage basis the assignment of resources from divisions.
17. Oversees the luggage operation on the last night of the cruise and turnaround day process to ensure duties are completed within the allocated time and to the required standards.
18. Oversees the entire Turnaround day process and monitors the progress of the Management teams, Stateroom Attendants, Support teams, Linen runners and Laundry team to ensure stateroom areas will be ready by 1:00pm.
19. Fully owns any guest concern in line with onboard problem resolution guidelines to ensure maximum guest satisfaction and oversees the entire division and trains and coaches responses for effective problem resolution.
20. Maintains safe, secure, and healthy environment by enforcing organizational standards, procedures, and legal regulations and promoting Workplace Safety. Effectively monitors, overseas and makes improvements to workplace safety within the division and throughout the ship. Ensures timely and accurate reporting of any incidents or accidents using approved systems, and seeks to quickly identify and eliminate causes when possible. Attends mandatory crew and guest safety drills, training activities, courses and all other work related activities as required.
21. Assigns duties and responsibilities to team members. Observes and evaluates team members through open and honest feedback to ensure high quality standards are met. This
should be done constantly both in formal evaluations and also informally while on the job throughout each team member’s contract to further each team member’s personal development. Ensures all guest and group services are presented according to the company brand standards.
22. Performs related duties as required.